New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has not stated that he will resign from his leadership position after being indicted on five counts of corruption, and members on both sides of the aisle are beginning to plan his ousting from the speakership, City and State NY is reporting.
Capital Tonight reporter Nick Reisman tweeted that Silver has no intention of resigning his position:
Leaving the Capitol Silver says he will not "impede the process" of selecting his successor.
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) January 28, 2015
Silver says he plans to vote for his successor. "I am still a member of this house."
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) January 28, 2015
Silver said "I do not intend to resign" but it's not clear what his plan is at this point
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) January 28, 2015
When I asked Silver what's next for him he deadpanned "the elevator" and then a Rangers game.
— Nick Reisman (@NickReisman) January 28, 2015
According to Albany reporters, 70-year-old Silver has until Monday to resign, or a resolution will be created and voted on by the membership to remove him.
Democratic Majority Leader Joe Morelle will become interim speaker until Feb. 10, at which point a permanent replacement for Silver will be chosen. Morelle, who hails from Rochester, is said to be the most preferable choice of Democrats for Republicans in the chamber to support.
Assemblyman Keith Wright, a Harlem Democrat, is one of the members being mentioned as a possibility to replace Silver. Wright, like others in his conference, is calling on Silver to step down so the legislature can start working again.
New York Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel told The Daily Caller he is talking with Wright, as well as former Manhattan Democratic Chairman Herman “Denny” Farrell, but Rangel refuses to get involved with the controversy in Albany.
“As much politically I would like to get involved, I would really resent it if somebody was interfering with what we did down here. I’m listening very closely to it. I’m talking with Denny Farrell and Keith Wright,” Rangel said. “I can’t wait for [Rep.] Joe Crowley to get here, but state legislators, especially those who put their lives into this, would have to figure out what’s best for the state and the state legislature. I attempted to get involved emotionally, but politically I’m going to keep my two cents out of it.”
New York Democratic Rep. Jerry Nadler, whose congressional district includes Silver’s assembly district, did not want to say whether he believed Silver should step down from his position, telling TheDC, “Well, I think it’s a fait accompli —that’s what I read in the press. They decided everything. It’s really for the state legislature–the Assembly [to decide].”
Assemblyman Carl Heastie, the chair of the Bronx Democratic Party, is another member who is jockeying for the speakership. He may have support from various coalitions among Democratic Assembly members. The coalitions started when Democrats began seeking out fellow conference members who wanted to remove Silver.
Republican Assemblyman Karl Brabenec told TheDC, “[The Democrats] are forming various coalitions. I know there’s a Long Island Hudson Valley coalition. There’s an African-American coalition. There’s a Latino coalition. They’re pretty fractured right now.”
